What is Low Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves. When we have healthy self-esteem, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. When our self-esteem is low, we tend to see ourselves and our life in a more negative and critical way.

If you have low self-esteem you may feel:

Like you hate or dislike yourself

Worthless or not good enough

Unable to make decisions or assert yourself

Feel like no one likes you

Blame yourself for things that aren't your fault

Unable to recognise your strengths

Undeserving of happiness

Low in confidence

We all have times when we lack confidence and don’t feel good about ourselves, but when low self-esteem becomes a long-term problem, it can have a harmful effect on our mental health and our lives.